Red Dawn
by Souls of Fury
Summary: First Story. What would happen if Spyro was unable to defeat Cynder? What horrors would be unleashed, and would Spyro be able to recover from such a blow? T for violence PM me if you think rating should be changed . COMPLETED :3
1. Prologue

**Alright, this is my first story so it may not be very good... Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

Spyro knew he had made a mistake as soon as he jumped through the portal.

Cynder had been able to get behind where the portal had opened as soon as she got through it. All she had to do now is wait for Spyro to come through. Once he went through, Spyro looked around to try and find Cynder, but with no luck. He was about to turn back when he was hit by a wave of shadow flame. He turned around to see Cynder charging towards him, shooting another wave of shadow as she ran. Spyro managed to dodge this attack, but was still in pain after the first.

"You have interfered for the last time, you purple pest!", Cynder screamed. " This doesn't have to happen, Cynder!", Spyro shouted. " I know who you really arem and I believe you do too!"

"Who is this 'real' me you speak of?!"

Spyro looked at Cynder at disbelief. She was being completely arrogant to the fact that she was not really the form she was at the moment. " You know who you are Cynder, don't try to say you don't."

Cynder knew he was right, but was trying her best not to show it. Spyro managed to see in her eyes she knew he was right, but it quickly disappeared. "No...", Cynder shook her head, " I will not believe you!" She then fired a barrage of shadow fire, all of which hitting Spyro in various places. Spyro winced in pain as he tried to use his fire breath, but to no success.

Cynder laughed "Did you honestly think that you could defeat me? You have no idea of what I am capable of! Now, what shall I do with you? I'll tell you what, you can either live and join the Dark Master, or you can die, and hold your loyalty to the Guardians."

"I will never help Malefor!" Spyro shouted.

Cynder sarcastically sighed, "It's a shame, really" She used her wind breath to throw Spyro across the barren landscape.

"You would have made such a brilliant warrior." She then walked off into the distance.

**Well, what did you think? This is my first story so don't be too harsh. This is basically a demo chapter to get going in the story. I appreciate criticism, but I do not so with flames.**

**The Silent Stranger,**

**Souls Of Fury**


	2. Escape

**Yes, I am back... and I hope to be for a long time... Enjoy the story; I've almost forgotten where it left off...**

In Spyro's eyes, the world was cloudy and blurred. Not that there was much to see of it for him at that time. The only thing he could see was the possibly endless cavern ceiling, and the jagged, unforgiving stalactites that lined it from end to end. If there ever was an end. The ceiling seemed to get further and further away, until it was suddenly replaced by blank darkness.

When he awoke, the world seemed completely different than what he had left behind. This time it was much darker than before, but still retained the eerie silence. What Spyro didn't know was what had happened to Cynder. Was she gone, or was she still here? It was difficult for him to figure it out in his head, as he had no idea how long he was unconscious for. For him, there was now only one option to choose. He was too weak to fight Cynder again, so he had to find a way out of the god-forsaken cavern. That task was harder than it seemed. There were plenty of obstacles in the path he needed to take, and he didn't know what was along said path, never mind the possibility of Cynder still being around. No matter, he would be as good as dead if he stayed where he was.

There was a neat, albeit strangely positioned, path for a while. This was easy to follow, though it didn't last for as long as he originally had hoped. Soon there was just a sea of boulders in front of him. Most were at least 8 feet in height, and one slip would mean a lot more than a broken ankle. Miraculously, Spyro did not suffer much damage from the fall or the battle. All he sustained was one or two broken ribs, if they were ever broken. However, his vision was still blurred, and it would be even tougher getting through the boulder field. A _boulder field _isn't really an appropriate term. It was more like an ungodly hell, stitched together with the remains of whatever unfortunate creature had been here before. Despite this, Spyro started attempting to get past the rocks. Within the first five minutes, he had fallen five times, though none of which were too serious, and had collapsed at least two tonnes of unstable rock. And he only covered two hundred feet.

By the time Spyro had reached the end of the boulder field, he was amassing with cuts and bruises. One particular rock had managed to pierce one of his rear legs, causing a reasonable amount of blood to be lost. He knew the journey was far from over, but getting through the boulder field was a good sign for him. Still, there could have been a better outlook for him. He could be back at the temple, training with Ignitus instead of being here in a chaotic landscape full of many a creature wishing to tear you apart. Despite this, Spyro carried on walking, and soon came to the one sight he had wanted to see for the past two hours: the portal. It was a welcome sight, one that Spyro eagerly stepped through. The portal marked the end of the difficult half of the journey to the Temple. The second, easier half was the flight to the Temple. Spyro tested his wings, and to his surprise, they were is relatively good condition, although one was slightly painful, but not enough to stop flight over. He took to the sky in what was an uneventful flight, and reached the temple within the hour.

**Sorry for the uneventful chapter, I've only started back to writing. I've been trying to start for a while but I haven't had the inspiration. Hope the be with you again soon, and enjoy your pancakes XD**

**The Silent Stranger,**

**Souls of Fury**


	3. Arrival

**Well, hello again. Sorry it's taken so long to update, I've been brushing up on my art skills, etc. What I HAVE been doing, however, is creating new characters. One of which you may see in this chapter, although I'm not sure. Plus, can anyone help me? Should it be Spyro's or Spyros in terms of possession, on with the story! **

When Spyro opened his eyes, 'shocked' would be an understatement as to how he felt. He was somewhere familiar, but familiar places aren't always good places to be. Soon enough, though, he got the answer as to what kind of 'familiar place' this actually was. He heard the sound of claws hitting earth and immediately got up, going straight into a fighting stance, only to be knocked off his feet. When he looked up, all he saw was Cynder's face. The rest of the world was a blur. Spyro attempted to get up, and succeeded; at least until Cynder intervened.

"You couldn't just go home and die, could you?" Cynder taunted. Unknown to Spyro, her tail was creeping very close to Spyro's body.

"Why?" Spyro appeared to be gasping, although Cynder had no idea what was the cause of the gasping.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Maybe this could answer your question." Cynder thrust her tail blade straight into Spyro's chest, causing a large wound to form. Blood seeped out at first, and then gushed out at surprising speed. The world faded further and further out of Spyro's eyes, until it vanished altogether.

=-=-=-=

"Spyro!"

Spyro jolted awake. He found himself in a rather small room, surrounded by a number of people. One of these, he noticed, was his friend Cyclone. Cyclone was a wind dragon, with grey scales and a strange red underbelly. She had a white tornado shaped mark on her forehead, and small horns on either side of her head. She was someone who would help out if possible. All in all, Spyro admired Cyclone, and her, him.

"Where am I?" Spyro asked, trying to work out what happened.

"You're at the Dragon Temple, Spyro." he heard Ignitus explain. "You had quite a fall. It's really a miracle no bones were broken, never mind how you're still alive."

_It was all a dream, _Spyro realised, _I must have fallen asleep on my journey here._

"What about Cynder?" Spyro asked, worriedly.

"What of her? You defeated her, did you not?"

Spyro tried to lift himself up, but decided against trying again as a sharp pain shook his whole body.

"Not exactly." Spyro admitted, "She managed to outsmart me before I could try to fight."

"You do know what this means, Spyro?" Ignitus queried.

Spyro shook his head, not understanding what Ignitus was saying.

"We have... received information about Malefor's allies. It appears that he made a deal with a warlord from another realm, who we believe to be known as Zaros."

"What's the problem?" Spyro asked. "We send an army and defeat him if he ever come to this realm."

"Zaros, Spyro, is no ordinary dragon. He is said to have been taken from Hell itself. In his body he has Malefor's power tenfold. That is why we cannot fight him on ordinary terms."

"Then what can we do?"

"The only thing can do is hope that Zaros does not arrive here. If he does, then there is next to no hope.

=-=-=-=

**Well, what did you think? I enjoyed writing that, and I introduced 2 OCs in one chapter! This shall most likely take a turn away from the original game plot, into something more complex. I would appreciate reviews; I got none for my last chapter.**

**The Silent Stranger,**

**Souls Of Fury**


	4. Distance

**Hello again, I hope you will enjoy this chapter. To be honest, I have no idea what this chapter will be like. All I know is that it will hopefully be at least 1k words, the longest chapter I've ever written. So, no matter, let's get on with the story.**

**=-=-=-=-=**

Chapter 3

Distance

"Do we even know if he can actually get here?" Spyro was agitated by the news of Zaros, he did not know how he would be able to fight against him, if he was anything like the guardians said he was.

"Well, we are not certain, but how could Malefor have known about him if he wasn't able to get here?" Ignitus knew Spyro would want to try to stop Zaros, but from what he knew about him, stopping him was a suicide mission.

"And what do we do? Just sit here and wait for him to come?!" Spyro attempted to get up, but fell back down from the pain rushing through his body.

"Did you not hear what I said?! We cannot fight him on our own! We don't even know if he will come here. Nobody has seen him for many years."

"Well, if the worst does come," Spyro declared, "We must have every able dragon fighting."

=-=-=-=-=

Meanwhile, in another dimension...

A massive black dragon watched over a large army, each soldier armed to the fangs with weapons and armour. He had a purple underbelly, and the horns on his head were shaped with the intention to impale and kill. A large mark was imbedded in his forehead; a circle with an X in the centre, with a cross behind the circle, leaving only the ends of the cross' arms exposed. His pupil-less eyes glowed white, and his tailblade was even more frightening than the horns on his head.  
Of course, he was not alone. There was a dragoness standing beside him. Equally dangerous looking, she resembled Cynder in a number of ways. The horns on her head, for example, resembled those of Cynder's, and she also had strange markings on her forehead. She, like the dragon beside her, had black scales, but unlike the dragon she had a grey underbelly.

"It is a grand army, isn't it?" That was the male.

"It is, hopefully it will be enough. Malefor did say that the armies there were strong."

"Do not worry, Myst, even if they are strong I doubt they will be able to defeat us."

"What if they are, Zaros?" Myst looked worriedly at the black dragon. Hard, for someone who has no pupils in their eyes.

"If they are," Zaros admitted, " we will have a rather large battle ahead of us. Hopefully that will not happen."

"There's always a chance." Myst said.

"There's always a chance." Zaros repeated.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

In the Dragon Realms...

Word had spread about the possible attack on the realms, and many of the cities were on high alert, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. Many places, such as the Warfang, were not as eager to fight. Warfang, for example, had almost no army whatsoever; and despite being called the Dragon City, there were almost no dragons in the city. Many of the dragons in the smaller villages had travelled to the Dragon Temple, where they were trained and housed. Soon, the Temple was amass with dragons, all eager to fight for the first time. Those who were unable to fight were given the task of planning the fight, and were given training by Volteer. Not many survived the training, although only one wasn't actually able to complete the tasks set. The rest just couldn't stand listening to Volteer's endless rants.

Nonetheless, the Dragon Realms had a large army built up in a short space of time, including almost everyone who opposed Malefor. From what the majority of the make-shift soldiers knew about Zaros and his empire, they were sure to win with a massive, decisive victory.

If only it was true...

=-=-=-=-=-=

**Well, it appears I don't have the patience for writing 1k words at the moment. Hopefully I will get there soon. Please review, I enjoy reading them.**

**The Silent Stranger,  
Souls of Fury**


	5. Preparations

**Hey everyone! It's been a while since I have updated this, so I hope to make this chapter a milestone for me: at least 1k words. I have also changed the name, taking out the `The Legend of Spyro' part. I wanted to update earlier, but things got in the way. I am currently off school sick =[ but I can finally work on the story. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, I am grateful for your support. So, without further ado, let's get on with the story.**

**=-=-=-=-=-=**

"There is only one way of finding out their plans..." Zaros was pacing the floor in the hall of his fortress, with Myst sitting in the middle.

"Which is?" Myst was slightly confused at what Zaros was saying, but she knew she would have to agree with him on what he would say.

"We must send Lucien to the Dragon Realms, and disguise him as someone from another realm. If he changes his scales to red, they will most likely have no suspicions of him." Zaros seemed content that this plan would work brilliantly, but Myst wasn't so sure.

"And what happens if they do find out about him? What if they attack him?"

"Myst, we all know he is a shadow dragon. And if that isn't enough, I can always teleport there and stop them myself." Zaros was beginning to grow frustrated with his mate's arguing. He soon realised this, and tried to calm himself down. "If something happens to him, I will take responsibility. I will see that whoever does something to him will pay dearly."

Myst sighed, "When does he leave?"

Zaros smiled at his mate. "As soon as possible. They are setting up the systems as we speak."

"The _systems_? Who else is going?" Again, Myst was getting confused.

"We need to alert Cynder that we are coming soon, so I am sending Ahrim."

"Why Ahrim? He's one of our best warriors, is he not?"

"He is, Myst. And that's precisely why he's going. He will be able to protect himself from any attacks." Zaros started to pace again, but stopped as quickly as he started and looked at his mate. "We can't afford to let this opportunity go. If we don't act now it might be too late."

Myst nodded her head, "Okay."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

_A few hours later, in the Dragon Realms..._

Spyro walked through the Temple into the main hall. He found Ignitus talking to a dragon he had never seen before. He had red scales, and a purple underbelly. He had horns like his own, only a lot smoother, and had strange diamond shaped marks on his legs. The strangest thing, however, was something Spyro had never seen before: his pupils glowed red. Spyro was intrigued as to where this dragon came from, and more importantly, what it was doing here.

"We're going to launch one full attack on the Mountain," that was Ignitus. "Hopefully that will be where the Empty Lord's armies appear, which would make sense."

"Okay, I'll bring these plans to my commander, shall I?" the red dragon inquired.

"Yes, of course. I wish you the best of luck, Lucien." Ignitus agreed. Lucien was starting to turn away when Cyclone came into the room. She walked over to Spyro, who was sitting on the floor, and said a few things to him, before leaving again.

_She's beautiful..._ Lucien thought. _Still, I have to get back._

With that, Lucien walked out of the room, leaving a bewildered Spyro in his wake.

"Who was that?"

"His name is Lucien. He is a fire dragon from another realm. I think he said what realm it was, but I can't remember... hopefully it will come back to me." Ignitus answered.

"Okay." Spyro then left the room.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Zaros grinned at what had happened. The plan had gone beautifully. Lucien was standing beside him, looking down at his growing army. Now they knew how the Dragon Realms would attack, but they still needed to inform Cynder.

However, in a matter of hours, he was informed that Cynder had got the message, and was prepared for war. This was all Zaros needed, so he turned to Lucien.

"Assemble the troops, we leave at dawn." Dark clouds smothered Zaros' body, and lifted him up. His scales were torn off as he stood on two legs. His head changed into a more spherical shape. Black robes found their way onto his body, and a staff with his symbol appeared in his hand. The clouds dissipated, leaving Zaros in his Lich form. Glowing, purple marks were etched in his skull and his eyes glowed a fierce red.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Spyro was confused at how little time the strange dragon had spent in the Temple. He was sure that it wasn't a threat, but he still had his doubts. He didn't know why he was having these doubts, but he knew they were not a brilliant sign. Sure, he had seemed friendly enough, but those eyes worried Spyro, he had never seen anything like it before and he hoped never to see them again. Nonetheless, there were more important things to be doing. He had sent a number of dragons out to the various settlements that were ready for war, spreading the message to gather there soldiers and march to the Mountain.

A dark green dragon entered the room

"The dragons are ready. Shall we leave now?"

"Yes," Spyro answered, "Though let me get to them first."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

An eerie silence crept over the lands that the Dragon Realm's armies stood. They watched the Mountain, waiting for any sign of the enemy. After a short while, there were signs of Zaros' armies appearing. A few spots of haze appeared on the mountain, which dragons walked out of.

"Is this what they have brought to fight?" One of the dragons mocked.

"No," Spyro said. He turned around to face the army.

"There is only one word I need to say."

Spyro was met with the worried stares of thousands.

"Run."

=-=-=-=-=-=

**What has happened? You shall find out in the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who has taken their time to read, even review my story. I probably would have stopped writing altogether without you. Well, I managed to get 1K words into this chapter, and I hope for even more in the next one. I would also like to announce that the next chapter may take a little longer than previous updates, as I am making a story in collaboration with Nanoflame! I would appreciate reviews; I need to find out what I need to work on.**

**The Silent Stranger,  
Souls of Fury**


	6. Forbidden City

**Sorry for the wait, I was busy with other things, and I didn't have much time to do any writing. I hope you are still enjoying the story, as this is one of the final chapters of this story. I am already getting prepared for the sequel, so I'm not done with this plot yet. So, without further ado, let's get on with the story.**

**00000**

A yellow dragon looked confusedly at Spyro. "Run?"

Spyro stared back, a look of determination, maybe even some fear, in his eyes. "Don't you see what's going on? If they're doing anything, they are attempting to ambush us, why else would next to no one be at the Mountain? If we are going to attack, we need to spread out, so we need to go back to plan better."

The yellow dragon grunted at him, "I guess you're right."

With that, the group marched back to the Temple. Spyro fell back and eyed the Mountain nervously. "You won't win," he whispered, "By the ancestors, you will not win..."

00000

Zaros, still in his lich form, slammed his fists into a wall, growling dangerously. "That stupid dragon, how can he be so naïve? Still, now that they're gone, I can finally move into the city I was trying to take back all along."  
Zaros walked up to a white dragon in the portal chamber. "Can you prepare a portal to the Forbidden City?"

The dragon replied, "Of course, my lord." Zaros then turned to another, smaller dragon.  
"Tell the armies to go to the gates of the Forbidden." The dragon nodded, and scurried off to complete his orders.

"Sir?" Zaros turned around to find the white dragon looking at him. "The portal is ready, sir."

"Excellent," Zaros commented, "I shall leave immediately." With that, Zaros stepped through the portal, not exactly sure what to expect.

00000

Zaros appeared in a dusty courtyard, presumably of the main building in the city. In the south end of the courtyard was a large wall, decorated with rich colours and gold leaf. At the north end was a passage out of the yard into the city, into which Zaros walked. The city was full of purple, gold and black, showing the glory of its former ruler.

_This is exactly how it was left... _Zaros thought, _I knew they would be to cowardice to dare enter the city._

Zaros continued walking to the north towards the city gates, satisfied that everything was as he liked. Even the beds in which the former citizens slept were neat and untouched, showing just how greatly the Empty Lord's power can preserve something. Once he was at the gates, he slammed his staff into a small dent in the ground. Groaning, the city gates slowing opened, revealing to Zaros his massive armies. Zaros smiled, knowing that his work was complete for the time being.

00000

A small, red dragon ran into the guardians' briefing room. "The City! It's open!"

Ignitus was the first to turn around. "How is this possible?" He then thought for a few seconds before saying, "The Empty Lord used to control the city, and I'm guessing he's back." He turned to Volteer, who was looking at the messenger curiously "Volteer, assemble the troops. We must go to the City to retake it, one way or another."

"As you wish, Ignitus." With that, Volteer ran out of the room, leaving Ignitus and Spyro alone.

"The Empty Lord, who is he exactly?" Spyro asked curiously.

"Nobody really knows, Spyro," Ignitus said, "Some say he was born from Hell itself, and nobody knows who his family is, if he even has any. He took over his home realm, creating a vast empire ruled by him and him alone. He created a legion of masterful warriors known as the Majarrat, who are said to be almost immortal. They were bred for fighting, and fighting is the only thing they know."

"Are there any left?" Spyro asked.

"I should say so. You can tell if they are Majarrat by their eyes, as they glow white and have no pupils. There have, however, been Majarrat who are reported to be able to change their eyes, most likely born from the Empty Lord himself."

"One thing still puzzles me, why call him the Empty Lord?"

"There is a legend that whenever someone merely says his name, he gains power. With that sort of legend you have to be careful, even though there is most likely hardly any truth in it."

_In the Forbidden City_

Zaros walked into the palace, heading towards the throne that was once his. He turned and spoke to the crowd of dragons following him.

"We have retaken what is rightfully ours. Now, though, we are still in danger of losing it again. Those dragons in the Temple and the city of Warfang think that we should not be here. That is where they are wrong. We shall protect our city, no matter what they throw at us. If they break through our walls, we will defend the safehouses. If they break into them, we will fight to the death, as we are not the cowardice plague that roams their native land. We are the Majarrat, and we will not be stopped!"

A resounding roar came from the crowd, approving Zaros' speech. Zaros smiled inwardly, knowing that he had done what was needed. Now, no matter what, his people were loyal to him.

**Hmm... well that could have been better. Yes, I know I took a LONG time, and I apologise, but I was busy, plus I have exams in a few days. I also know that the speech was terrible, but I wasn't the most motivated with the whole chapter. The next chapter will be one of the last chapters for this story, so I'm going to enjoy writing it. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, especially if you have given advice, because I've learned more about writing here than I did in all my English classes this year put together. You've helped me become confident with my writing, and that is why I appreciate you. So, for one of the final times in this story,  
The Silent Stranger,  
Souls of Fury**


	7. Prepare for War

**Hey everyone, I'm back. I haven't been updating for a long time because of a number of reasons: I got a new laptop, I've been busy with other things and a lot of other stuff has got in the way. So, let's get on with the story. **

* * *

Spyro woke to a sunrise he had never seen before. The sky was a blood red, with streaks of orange running through it.

Spyro muttered to himself, remembering that a red dawn was a bad omen. _Hopefully, _he thought, _it will affect them too._ He walked out of his room, only to be stopped outside by Cyclone.

"Hey," she whispered, "It's the big day. Let me help with your armour."

"Umm...okay..." Spyro said, not sure of quite what she was saying. He left to collect his armour from the armoury, and headed back to his room, where Cyclone was waiting for him. When she saw him, she smiled and opened the door so he could get into the room. She left, heading in the same direction as Spyro had done moments ago.

"Where are you going?" Spyro called after her.

"You'll see!" Cyclone called back, not wasting time leaving his line of vision.

_I hope she's not doing what I think she's doing, _Spyro thought. _I just hope not..._

* * *

Zaros was already awake and busy working, trying to make sure his city was secure for what was an inevitable attack by the Dragon Temple's new armies. He hoped that their inexperience would be an advantage to his own armies. While he was on the battlements around the city, he saw something that made him jump slightly; a row of trebuchets, heading towards the city.

"Courtesy of Warfang, no doubt." He muttered. At that moment, a large, black dragon flew overhead; Cynder. She turned behind him and rested on the battlements beside him.

"So, are we ready?" Cynder asked. "After this we can restore my Master to his former glory." Cynder's eyes glowed with content when she said this.

"Former glory? Zaros asked, shocked, "This was solely about getting our city back. Whether you wish for Malefor to return or not is your problem and only your problem. Frankly, I prefer life without that cretin of a dragon butting his way into things."

Cynder growled with rage, lunging herself at Zaros. She grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against a wall. "Never speak that way about my Master again, or I'll make sure to end your life. Even if I do not raise him, I shall make sure his wishes are fulfilled. I'll make sure that Spyro dies."

A number of guards rushed onto the battlements and surrounded Cynder. Zaros looked into her eyes and spoke in a grave tone. "You have 1 minute to leave. If you do not, I shall have you arrested."

Cynder thought for a moment, and then flew off heading behind the city. Zaros sighed, and told the guards to ready his army.

* * *

Cyclone walked into Spyro's room, carrying a pile of armour between her wings.

"Cyclone..." Spyro started. Cyclone set the armour down on the floor. "Cyclone, you can't be serious!"

"What? " Cyclone asked innocently.

"You're not fighting, Cyclone. I can't let you.

"And why not?" Cyclone questioned.

"Because I can't lose you!" Spyro whispered. "If you died, I'd never forgive myself. I'd feel like I'd let you down."

Cyclone nuzzled Spyro under his chin, "Hey, I can't look after myself. And anyways, all that training wasn't for nothing."

Spyro sighed. "I suppose, but promise me you'll be careful."

Cyclone looked into his eyes."I promise."

Cyclone started rubbing Spyro's chest with her paws and gently pushed him onto his back. She climbed over him and started kissing his neck, all the while rubbing his chest. As if rehearsed, a guard entered the room.

"Spyro, Ignitus wishes to speak wi- oh, sorry for interrupting." The guard hastily exited the room.

Spyro lay on the floor, bewildered. "What was that about?"

Cyclone chuckled. "I wonder what he thought was happening."

"Oh well, let's just get ready." Spyro got up and picked up the armour lying on his bed piece by piece and equipped it, as did Cyclone, occasionally helping Spyro with some armour pieces.

* * *

In the main hall, the guardians waited for Spyro to join them. A guard entered the room, panting slightly.

"Sir, there is a messenger from the Empty Lord waiting to see you."

Ignitus nodded. "Send him in."

The guard bowed and left the room. A small, light gray dragon entered, and stood in the centre of the hall.

"What is your business here?" commanded Terrador.

The young dragon was visibly shaking at the sight of the elder dragons. "My Master has sent a message for you. He says he means no harm."

The young dragon handed a scroll to Ignitus, who then unravelled it. The message read:

_Greetings.  
As you know, I have regained control over my old city.  
I send you this message to tell you that, despite what you may think, I never did, nor intended to cause harm.  
I know what you think about me.  
That "Dark Master" polluted your minds.  
He wanted the city for himself, so he tried to make me out as evil.  
You drove my people out, now we are back.  
If you still wish to attack, go ahead.  
But prepare for some resistance._

Commander of the Mahjarrat,  
Zaros

Ignitus crumpled the scroll in his paw, throwing it to the ground. He ushered the messenger out of the room, then turned to the other guardians.

"What do you think about this?" he asked the others.

"Sounds like he's trying to get away from a fight." Cyril laughed.

* * *

When Spyro and Cyclone entered, they found that all the guardians wanted was to wish them luck. With that out of the way, they were free to do what they wanted until they were called. Spyro sat with his eyes closed, silently thinking. Cyclone sat opposite him, trying to entertain herself. She hated when things got serious, and when Spyro got like this, she would be unable to find anything to do.

She desperately looked out the small window, hoping that there might be something interesting out there, but, as always, all there was was trees. Eventually, she found herself playing with her tail, trying to catch it and swiping at the air. When Spyro finally stirred, he was confused when he saw Cyclone.

Cyclone stared at him, and grinned childishly. "Yeeesss?"

Spyro was utterly bewildered by her behaviour. "Err… what are you doing?"

Cyclone got up and walked over to him. "You were away in your own little world, and I couldn't find anything to do. You know I get like that…"

"Sorry about that… Well, it's nearly time to go anyway…"

Only seconds after he said that, a knock came from the door of the room they were in, and after, a call, "We're ready for you now!"

Cyclone sighed, and walked to the door with Spyro at her side. She knew one thing; this fight won't be enjoyable."

* * *

**Well that's the first half of this big chapter complete, and hopefully I'll get the second half out quickly. I was about to put a semi-lemon into this… but I decided against it. I'll probably leave it to my next story… If you were wondering where I was going to put it, it was when Cyclone was bored...**

**The Silent Stranger,  
Souls of Fury**


	8. The Battle

**Hey again. This will probably be the last chapter of this story, but not the end of the plot. Once I've finished this chapter, it's on to the sequel. Not too sure what to name it yet though...**

**Also, a special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. 24 reviews to date and 1546 views isn't bad for my first story... I probably wouldn't have continued this without you guys, and I almost did stop a number of times... **

**Anyways, on with the story for a final time.**

* * *

Spyro and Cyclone walked together, along with the rest of the army, towards Zaros' city. They both had fear in their eyes, but knew that if they did not win, the world would be a different place. At least... that's what they thought.

Spyro looked at his paws as he walked. He sighed, trying to ease the tension building up inside him. He glanced nervously at Cyclone, who seemed to be lost in a daydream. She appeared calm,but he knew she was anything but.

The catapults brought by the moles of Warfang were in clear view now, and the dragons could pick individuals on the battlements. With any luck, they would be at the gates within the hour.

* * *

Zaros glared at the advancing dragons in the distance, contemplating just flying out there and blasting them all with ice. He knew, however, that his people wanted to prove themselves to do, but none wanted it more than his most loyal soldiers; the Mahjarrat.

Zaros walked into the main hall of his temple and stood in the middle of an octagon painted in the centre of the floor. He tapped the floor with his claws a few times and, one by one, eight spirals of black smoke formed at the corners of the octagon. Each became thicker and thicker, before eight jet black dragons stepped out. All had the same pupil-less eyes as Zaros, and each had a different mark on their foreheads, bar one; Lucien. Zaros turned to each of them, before staring at the floor.

"You must know what's going on by now. We're going to be holding out here until that pathetic excuse of an army gets here. Once they get here, protect all the walls and gates, and destroy anyone that gets past. That should be common sense to you, though." Zaros began to walk towards the main

gate of the temple. He turned back to the group and sighed, "And if you see Cynder, don't attract her attention. She's a tad frustrated now..."

Zaros walked out of the temple into the bright sunlight, and began to head towards one of the watchtowers near the city wall. One thing was certain; if the city was to fall, it was going to be a fight.

* * *

It was around noon when Spyro and Cyclone reached the city. Spyro examined the walls to see any noticeable weak points. While Spyro was distracted, Cyclone craned her neck to nuzzle under Spyro's chin. Spyro looked down and chuckled slightly. Cyclone glanced up at him innocently, as if not doing anything.

"Now's not the time," Spyro sighed. "Once this is over we can finally rest..."

Cyclone pulled away, disappointed by his comment. She glanced at the wall curiously.

"So... how are we getting in?"

Spyro scratched at the soil with his claws. "I guess the best thing we can do is to break through the wall, not go over it." He turned to the Guardians. "Terrador, break through the wall with whatever you can. When the wall is broken through, the rest of you attack whatever you can so that the rest of us can get into the city. I'll pick off anyone I can when you're doing that."

Terrador nodded, and walked closer to the wall. He began to form a massive boulder in the air, and threw it at the wall. The stones of the wall cracked slightly, but it was far from falling. Spyro helped Terrador by blasting the wall with his earth breath, taking large chunks out of the wall. The other Guardians readied themselves to get in as fast as they could. With one final throw, Terrador broke through the wall, and moved out of the way to let the others through.

As soon as Cyril got through the wall, he was surrounded by the Zarosian dragons. Ignitus was the next to go through, and shot a trail of fire at the dragons, while Cyril pierced them with his ice shards. Volteer and Terrador came through, and used their elements to rid their path of the dragons. Spyro and Cyclone raced into the city, and attacked whoever they could. Spyro thrust his horns into the black dragons, and Cyclone, as a wind dragon, could only use her tail blade to slice at anyone who advanced on her.

Spyro glanced at Cyclone, seeing that she was struggling, and ran over to her, trying to avoid any dragons in his way. He swiped at the dragons, torching them with a stream of flames.

"Get out of here!" he shouted over the noise.

Cyclone looked at him for a second, with the same caring eyes he had seen time and time again. She returned the shout "I'm not leaving you..."

Spyro saw a dragon run up from behind her, staying out of her sight. "Then look out!" He shot a shower of icicles at the dragon, piercing it's chest with the icy daggers. The dragon dropped to the ground, chest no longer rising.

A dark shadow covered the pair for a brief moment, chilling the air. Spyro looked up, spotting the one dragon he did not want to see right then; Cynder. He signalled to Cyclone, pointing up at where he had seen Cynder. Cyclone peered into the sky, noticing the black and pink dragoness. Spyro looked down, seeing that the dragons around them had dissipated. _Probably too afraid to fight, _Spyro thought.

"We have to follow her!"

Cyclone nodded, knowing what he intended to do. She ran over to Spyro and stood in front of him. Spyro moved around her, a determined gleam in his eyes. He ran through the hole made in the wall, Cyclone following right behind him. He watched the silhouette of Cynder's form against the sun, following it, thirsty for revenge. The only time he stopped was to rest, as he watched Cynder disappear into a cave in the side of a hill. Cyclone caught up with him, breathing heavily from the running.

"W-... why can't we... we fly?"

Spyro glanced at her, before turning his head towards the mountain.

"If we don't want to be seen by her or anyone else, we can't."

Cyclone sighed. "How far is there to go?

Spyro stared at the mountain. "We should be there in about 10 minutes..." He got up and began walking again. Cyclone, taken by surprise at his sudden movement, ran up to his side and nuzzled his neck with her muzzle. Spyro smiled down at her, chuckling slightly.

"I can't wait till when this is over..."

Cyclone smiled back. "Me neither."

Soon enough, they reached the mountain, and began to climb up it. Cyclone was forced to stop several times along the climb, tired by the angle of the ascent. They were close to the cave by now, and Cyclone was tiring again. She started to stagger up the mountain, before collapsing onto the rocky slope. Spyro skidded down the mountain to reach her, worry and fear in his eyes. She had staggered before during the climb, but she had stopped to rest when that happened. This was the first time that she had properly fainted though, and he was scared for her.

Cyclone turned her head to face Spyro. She smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'm fine..."

Spyro sighed in relief, and helped Cyclone get up. He looked up and saw that they were only around a hundered metres from the cave. "Look, we're almost there."

The duo began climbing again, with Cyclone gaining a strange boost in energy. They walked up the final metres of the slope and entered the cave. Cyclone gasped, seeing that the cave was actually a large cavern, carved into the mountain. Spyro walked into the cavern ahead of Cyclone, shielding her from anything that might come out.

* * *

Cynder lay down on the large stone slab in a corner of the large cavern. She was tired of trying to reason with Zaros, and decided to sleep the day by. She was drifting off into sleep when she heard something; claws on stone. She listened for a moment to make sure that she heard it, and growled from the bottom of her throat. In the distance she saw two figures and, being accustomed to the darkness, was able to make out who and what they were; Spyro and Cyclone.

She rose from the stone slab, snarling at the distant dragons. "I thought I told you to stay away... It seems you never learn your lesson."

Spyro turned to Cyclone, worried about her safety. "Stay here. If I need help, I'll call."

Cyclone nodded. She knew that Spyro fought better on his own.

Spyro rose into the air and moved towards Cynder, stopping a safe distance from her. "You've done enough damage to the Dragon Realms... If you can't stop, I'll have to kill you."

Cynder laughed at the small dragon. "Kill me? Last time you tried to 'kill me', you were lucky to get out alive..." With that, she lunged at the hovering dragon, but Spyro quickly dodged the attack, flying to one side. Cynder turned to snarl at Spyro, and lunged again, this time with her tail ready to strike when given the chance. Spyro attempted to dodge again, but Cynder sliced him with her claws, and managed to puncture his wing membrane with her scythe-like tail blade.

Spyro fell to the ground, breaking the bones in his wings when he hit the ground. He hissed in pain, but would not give up the fight. He tried to lunge at Cynder like she had done to him, but she simply swatted him away. He crashed into the ground, leaving him exposed to attack for a brief moment. Cynder took this opportunity and threw herself on top of Spyro, causing a bone in his leg to puncture his scales. Blood began to pour out of the wound, pooling into a depression in the floor.

Spyro heard Cyclone screaming, but the pain was too intense to make out what. Cynder looked at Cyclone and hovered her tail above Spyro's chest.

"Your screams are pointless! He's dead now!"

With that, she plunged her tail blade into Spyro's chest, almost hitting his heart. He felt the blade like cold steel, slicing his body open. He felt the blood gush out of him, but it wasn't enough for Cynder. She pushed her tail into him even further, pushing it completely through his body.

Now, blood was streaming out of both sides of Spyro's body. He yelled in pain, and began coughing up his blood. He felt the warm liquid run down his muzzle and onto his neck, along with the blood coming out of his chest and leg. His sight became blurred, and his yells began to turn ragged. Soon, his yells had died, and he lay still in a large pool of blood with Cynder on top of him.

Cynder turned to Cyclone, who had ceased screaming. She spoke in a cold, deathly tone. "Your turn."

Before Cynder could advance on Cyclone, a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the entrance of the cavern. They sped closer to Cyclone until she noticed that it was a jet black dragon. She growled at the new dragon.

"Have you come to join in?" Her voice was torn but loud, and her eyes stung with tears.

The dragon ignored her, and walked past her. It shouted from across the cavern at Cynder.

"I thought my father told you not to come back. It seems you have done more than come back." The shout became a growl on the final sentence.

Cynder snarled, realising who the dragon was. "Lucien! Your father is a fool... Why do you bother with him?" She looked back at Spyro's body. "And they were asking for it. They came in here and tried to fight."

Lucien, tired of shouting, lunged at Cynder, swiping at anything he could hit. Cynder hissed, swatting at the Mahjarrat. Lucien, however, used Cynder's foreleg as a platform to pounce from and swiped at her throat. This time, he was able to make contact. His claws sliced into her neck, hitting the major arteries. Cynder brought her paw up to her throat, trying to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. She hissed in pain, and writhed slightly, before lying still, the pressure on her neck now released.

Lucien turned to Cyclone, who was cowering in a corner of the cave. Lucien walked over to her, and wrapped a wing around her shaking body. He nuzzled her gently, trying to get a response from her.

"C'mon... I'll take you to my homeland. Once my father is finished here, it will be barren and destroyed."

Cyclone got up with Lucien's aid and, still wrapped in his wing, walked out of the cave into the bright sunlight.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of the story. For now. The sequel should be out soon, and I'll update it faster than this. A lot faster.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, advised, faved and watched my story. I probably wouldn't have finished this without you. :3**

**So, for the final time in this story.**

**The Silent Stranger,**

**Souls of Fury**

**(Also, I just saw an ad for "Tyrannosaurus Sex" while writing this A/N... Just thought I'd let you know :3)**


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